Our school-wide celebration of Israel’s Independence Day was very active and kef (fun)! In honor of Israel’s 70th birthday, students played Israeli games and participated in Israeli folk dancing during recess. Students “visited” a variety of places in Israel as they traveled around school participating in different stations. We had an all-school trivia competition, Jewperdy, in Jerusalem. They also visited Jaffa, where children were challenged to an orange-picking/sorting relay, and Tel Aviv, where our artists created graffiti on the city’s “walls.” Finally, students created their own mosaics similar to those found in the Israeli city of Tzipori.
Each class collaboratively wrote a thoughtful poem reflecting their Hopes and Dreams for Israel. The poems were shared at an all-school Yon Ha’atzmaut assembly. Here is third grade’s class poem:
FOR YOU ISRAEL כיתה ג HOPES . . .
YOU ALWAYS REMAIN A PEACEFUL COUNTRY.
FOR YOU ISRAEL כיתה ג HOPES . . .
YOU WILL BE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD.
FOR YOU ISRAEL כיתה ג HOPES . . .
YOU WILL HAVE NO MORE WARS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.
FOR YOU ISRAEL כיתה ג HOPES . . .
YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A STRONG HEALTHY ARMY.
